Spring casting gun



April 1966 J. 5. M DONALD 3,245,170

SPRING CASTING GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1964 J. S. M DONALD SPRING CASTING GUN April 12, 1966 2 sheets-sheaf. 2

Filed March 18, 1964 e R w av 7i vn B vw United States Patent Ofifice 3,245,170 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 3,245,170 SPRING CASTING GUN John Stewart MacDonald, Spragge, Ontario, Canada Filed Mar. 18, 1964, Set. 359,810 Claims priority, application Canada, Apr. 2, 1963, 872,332 10 Claims. (Cl. 43-19) The present invention relates to a casting device for mechanically casting a baited line and more particularly to a casting gun embodying a spring-actuated casting arm which is operatively controlled by a trigger.

The present invention is directed towards providing a fishing gun which will cast a baited line accurately and to a distance equal to the distance obtained when using a good steel or glass casting rod.

An object of the invention is to provide a casting device in which the force of the throw of the baited line, and consequently the distance to which the baited line may be cast, may be varied by adjusting the tension of a coil-ed spring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact casting device which is of lightweight construction and which is easily held in ones hand during casting and which can be carried on ones belt when not in use thereby leaving ones hands free for other purposes.

A further object is to provide in such a device a reel mount which can be locked in operative position and then when the casting gun is not in use, the reel mount may be folded and locked in inoperative position.

A still further object is to provide in such a device safety means similar to that of a gun so that an accidental casting of the baited line may be avoided thereby to prevent possible accident and injury to the operator.

According to the invention, the casting gun is characterized by a supporting frame, reel mount pivotally mounted within said frame at one end thereof, and adapted to support a fishing reel removably secured thereto including a fishing line wound thereon, guide means extending upwardly from said frame, a trigger means pivotally mounted within said frame, a line casting arm merging at one end into a coiled spring pivotally mounted within the other end of said frame and operatively con nected with a tension adjusting means, and said line casting arm and said trigger means having members engageable with each other when a tension suitable for casting is imparted to said coiled spring.

Other objects, features and advantagesof the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional side view of the casting device with the line casting arm in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the casting device with the line casting arm in extended position;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the casting device; and

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the casting device comprises a supporting frame formed of a pair of laterally equidistantly spaced-apart side walls which are rigidly connected to one another and is constructed preferably of aluminum or the like. The supporting frame is constructed in the form of a gun with a pistol-grip stock 1 which has a rearwardly extending butt section 2 and a forwardly extending nose section 3 formed integral therewith. The stock 1 is formed with a shoulder portion 4 at the junction of a nose section 3 and the stock.

Butt section 2 is provided with a rearwardly extending reel supporting arm 5 pivotally mounted therein by means of a screw 6 which extends laterally therethrough. To control the movement of the pivotally mounted arm 5 a curved spring member 8 is fastened to the butt section 2 by means of screws 9. When the arm 5 is in the operative position, as shown in FIG. 1, the spring member applies a downwardly acting force on the arm 5 forward of the mount 6 and thereby prevent the arm from pivoting to the retracted or inoperative position. To move the arm 5 to the retracted position a downwardly directed force sufficient to overcome the force of the spring 8 is applied to the arm 5 rearward of the mount 6. This moves the spring upwardly and allows the arm to pivot to the retracted position. The arm is held in the retracted position by the spring 8 in the same manner as it is held in the operative position. A conventional reel 10 may be movably secured to the reel supporting arm 5 by means of a thumb screw 11 positioned at the outermost end of reel supporting arm 5. To prevent damage to the reel, caused by the arm pivoting to a retracted position where the reel 10 engages the stock 1, an abutment 7 is provided on the underside of arm 5. The abutment 7 limits the movement of the arm 5 by engagement with the underside of spring 8.

Reel 10 shown herein is a conventional spinning reel comprising a reel drum with a line wound thereon and a handle 12 connected thereto for rewinding the line. When the line has been rewound and it is not desired to release the line for casting, handle 12 acts as a brake for preventing the unwinding of the line, handle 12 being turned gradually until the desired braking force is transmitted to the reel drum. On the other hand when it is desired to release the line for casting, a thumber 13 is pressed down thereby disengaging the reel drum and permitting the drum to turn freely.

Stock 1 has a trigger 14 mounted therein and pivotally connected to stock 1 by means of a pin 15 which extends laterally therethrough. Trigger 14 is provided at its lower end 16 with a concave surface to facilitate gripping the trigger by one of the fingers of a hand for operating the same and at its upper end 17, a notch 18 is formed therein. A tension spring 19 is fastened at one end to trigger 14 intermediate the ends thereof, and at the other end to shoulder 4 by means of a screw 20 extending laterally therethrough. Spring 19 urges trigger 14 into the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. To render trigger 14 inoperative when a cast is not desired, a manually rotatable safety means 21 is rotatably mounted within stock 1 in close proximity to trigger 14. Safety means 21 is operatively controlled by a knob 21a mounted thereon and extending laterally therefrom.

Mounted on the supporting frame 1 above stock 1 are a pair of substantially parallel upwardly extending guide walls 22 of a trapezium configuration. The guide walls are provided for reception of a line casting arm 24 which merges at one end into a coiled spring 25 pivotally mounted within nose section 3 by means of a rotatable pin 26 which extends laterally therethrough. Coiled spring 25 operatively connects with a tension adjusting means having a ratchet wheel 27, a pawl 28 and a spring means 29 which normally urges pawl 28 to engage ratchet wheel 27.

The tension adjusting means is housed within a rec tangular-shaped casing 30 which is affixed by screws 31 to one of the equidistantly spaced-apart side walls in nose section 3. In the rear of casing 30 is an aperture 32 through which extends a manually operable arm 33 formed integral with pawl 28. On the outside of casing 30 a scale 34 is provided and the tension imparted to coiled spring 25 is indicated on scale 34 by a pointer 35 which is affixed to rotatable pin 26 by means of screw 36.

Beneath coiled spring 25 and adjus-tably mounted within nose section 3 is a bolt 37 which carries a forwardly projecting screw 38 medially thereof. Screw 38 limits the forward projection of line casting arm 24 and its posia tion is determined by a slidable locking bar 39 held beneath casing 30 on the equidistantly spaced-apart side wall carrying casing 30. Locking bar 39 is held by means of a screw 40 which is inserted through an internal slot 41 and screwed into the side wall and at its foremost end, locking bar 39 has a notch 42 formed therein for receiving the substantially square head 43 of bolt 37 and serves to hold bolt 37 rigid. Screw 40 has a round head 44 which abuts against locking bar 39 on each side of internal slot 41 and when it is desired to change the position of screw 38, screw 40 is unscrewed slightly enabling locking bar 39 to slide rearwardly and thereby release head 42 of bolt 37. Bolt 37 can then be rotated and screw 38 can also be set to any desired position. When screw 33 is in the desired position, locking bar 39 is slid forwardly until notch 42 receives square head 43 and then screw 40 is tightened until its round head 44 once more abuts against locking bar 39.

The free end of line casting arm 24 has attached thereto a tongue 45 curved slightly upward with is bifurcated at 450 for engaging the line to be cast. To reduce the friction between the line and tongue 45 and thereby prolong the life of the line, a coating made from a plastic material or any other suitable material may be distributed over the bifurcated portion of tongue 45. The curvature of tongue 45 is varied by means of a screw 46 which is adjustably held beneath line casting arm 24 and is adapted to extend therethrough into and contact tongue 45. By turning screw 46, tongue 45 is raised gradually and a desired curvature imparted thereto; The curvature helps to give the cast an easy curve out over the water when the gun is held in substantially horizontal position.

Affixed beneath line casting arm 24, but anterior of screw 46 when line casting arm 24 is in the operative position (FIGURE 1) is a latch 47 which engages the upper end 17 of trigger 14 in notch 18 tohold tongue 45 within upwardly extending guide walls 22. Above latch 47 and connected therewith is an upwardly extending barrier 48 transversely positioned on tongue 45 and is adapted to fit snugly within guide walls 22. When the gun is in the operative position (FIGURE 1), and thumber 13 has been pressed to disengage the reel drum and permit the drum to turn freely, the line wound thereon is threaded through the bifurcation in tongue 45. The weight attached to the end of the line rests in tongue 45 against barrier 48. It will be obvious that barrier 43 prevents the weight from falling freely before trigger 16 has been released and thereby prevents the unwinding of the line before the cast is to be made.

When it is desired to transport the spring casting gun from place to place, the gun may be carried on ones belt by means of a belt clip 49' which is preferably afiixed to the supporting frame, on the side opposite casing 30, adjacent stock 2.

In using the device of this invention when it is desired to cast the line a distance from the position of the operator, the operator will first lock reel supporting arm 5, which has spinning reel removably secured thereto, in the position shown in FIGURE 1, that is in alignment with butt section 2.

Before bringing the gun into cocked positions as shown in FIGURE 1, it may be necessary to adjust bolt 37 and also screw 3-8, which have the effect of limiting the forward projection, that line casting arm 24 can assume. It may also be desirable to vary the curvature of tongue 45 and this can be accomplished by adjusting screw 46.

The operator will now grasp stock 1 preferably in the left hand and will hold the gun about shoulder high and in substantially horizontal position. With the right hand the operator will move arm 33 upwardly or downwardly, which has the effect of varying the position of pawl 28 on ratchet wheel 27. After the engagement of ratchet wheel- 27 by pawl 28, the operator will then grasp line casting arm 24 in his right hand and gradually swing line casting,

arm 24 downwardly and rearwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 1 whereby tongue 45 is hugged between upwardly extending guide walls 22 and if a tension suitable for casting has been imparted to coiled spring 25, latch 47 will be engaged by trigger 14. Thus, since the tension is adjusted by rotation of the coiled spring it will be seen that as the coiled spring is rotated forwardly on pin 36 the latch 47 will assume a more forward position when swung into the loaded position. This means that with increasing tension the latch 47 will finally reach a position where it is too far forward to engage trigger 14.

Once a tension suitable for casting has been imparted to coiled spring 25 and latch 47 is engaged by trigger 14, the operator presses thumber 13 which has the effect of disengaging the reel drum and permitting the drum to turn freely. The baited line is then grasped in the right hand and threaded through the bifurcation in tongue 45; the weight attached to the line is placed in tongue 45 and rest against barrier 48. At this point the gun is ready for casting and the operator points the gun in the desired direction. The trigger is then released and line casting arm 24 is projected upwardly and outwardly by the tension of coiled spring 25 into the position shown in FIGURE 2. This movement of the arm causes the baited line to be cast with considerable force and to be projected to a desired distance depending on the tension of coiled spring 25. The line is then rewound by handle 12 and the operation repeated.

It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

I claim:

1. A spring casting gun comprising in combination, a supporting frame including a pistol grip type of stock having a rearwardly extending butt section and a forwardly extending nose supporting section formed integral therewith, a belt clip fastened to said frame, a pivoting reel mount mounted within said butt section and adapted to support a fishing reel removably secured thereto including a fishing line wound thereon, said reel mount comprising a reel supporting arm being normally arranged in alignment with said butt section when casting and being adapted to pivot downwardly and forwardly when not casting, upwardly extending guide walls mounted on said frame near said reel mount, a trigger means pivotally mounted within said stock, a line casting arm merging at one end into a coiled spring adjustably mounted within said nose section and operatively connected with a tension adjusting means having a ratchet wheel, a pawl and a spring means normally urging said pawl to engage said ratch wheel, said line casting arm being provided at its other end with a tongue bifurcated for engaging said line to be cast, a latch means being fixedly mounted beneath said line casting arm for engagement with said trigger means, said coiled spring and hence said line casting arm being arranged to pivot downwardly and rearwardly to a position whereby said tongue is disposed between said guide walls, and said coiled spring and hence said line casting arm being under a tension suitable for casting when said latch means is engaged by said trigger.

2. A spring casting gun according toclaim 1, in which a safety means is provided for locking said trigger when in operative position to prevent accidental casting of the 3. A spring casting gun according to claim 1, in which a pliable material is distributed over that part of said tongue which engages said line thereby reducing friction between said line and said tongue and prolonging the life of said line.

4. A spring casting gun according to claim 1, in which a means for adjusting the curvature of said tongue is afiixed to said line casting arm therebeneath.

5. A spring casting gun according to claim 1, in which an upwardly extending barrier is transversely positioned on said tongue above said latch and connected therewith.

6. A spring casting gun according to claim 1, in which a means for limiting the forward projection of said line casting arm is mounted within said nose section.

7. A spring casting gun according to claim 1 in which a means for measuring the tension imparted to said coiled spring is afi'ixed to said nose section.

8. A spring casting gun comprising in combination, a supporting frame including a pistol grip type of stock having a rearwardly extending butt section and a forwardly extending nose section formed integral therewith, said supporting frame being formed of laterally equidistantly spaced apart side Walls which are rigidly connected to one another and contain a hollow chamber therebetween, a belt clip fastened to said supporting frame, a reel supporting arm pivotally mounted within said butt section and adapted to support a fishing reel removably secured thereto including a fishing line wound thereon, said reel arm being normally held in alignment with said butt section when casting by means of a locking spring member which is secured to the butt section and engages the arm, upwardly extending guide walls mounted on said frame, each of said guide Walls being indented slightly near their forward end, a trigger pivotally mounted within said stock, safety means for locking said trigger when in operative position to prevent accidental casting of the line, a line casting arm merging at one end into a coiled spring adjustably mounted within said nose section by means of a rotatable pin which extends laterally therethrough and said spring operatively connected with a tension adjusting means having a ratchet wheel, a pawl and a spring means normally urging said pawl to engage said ratchet wheel, said tension means being housed within a casing affixed at one side of said nose section and having apertured means through which extends a manually operable arm formed integral with said pawl, means for limiting the forward projection of said line casting arm being mounted within said nose section beneath said coiled spring, said line casting arm being mounted within said nose section on the lower portion of said coiled spring, said line casting arm being provided at its other end with a tongue bifurcated for engaging said line to be cast, said tongue having a blunt material distributed over that part which engages side line, a means for adjusting the curvature of said tongue being affixed to said line casting arm therebeneath, a latch means being fixedly mounted beneath said line casting arm for engagement with said trigger means, above said latch means and connected therewith an upwardly extending barrier being transversely positioned on said tongue, said coiled spring and hence said line casting arm being arranged to pivot downwardly and rearwardly to a position whereby said tongue is hugged between said guide walls, and said coiled spring and hence said line casting arm being under a tension suitable for casting when said latch means is engaged by said trigger means.

9. A spring casting gun according to claim 8, in which the tension imparted to said coiled spring is indicated on a scale provided externally of said tension adjusting means by an indicator means fastened to said rotatable pin.

10. A spring casting gun comprising in combination, a supporting frame including a pistol grip type of stock having a rearwardly extending butt section and a forwardly extending nose section formed integral therewith, a pivotable reel mount mounted within said butt section and adapted to support a fishing reel removably secured thereto including a fishing line wound thereon, upwardly extending guide walls mounted on said frame near said reel mount, a trigger pivotally mounted within said stock, a line casting arm merging at one end into a coiled spring adjustably mounted within said nose section and operatively connected with a tension adjusting means having a ratchet Wheel, a pawl and a spring means normally urging said pawl to engage said ratchet wheel, said line casting arm being provided at its other end with a tongue bifurcated for engaging said line to be cast, said line casting arm being also provided with a latch means adapted to engage said trigger means, said coiled spring and casting arm being arranged such that tension is applied by forcing said arm to swing rearwardly and downwardly to a posi tion wherein said tongue is disposed between said guide walls and said latch means engages said trigger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,195 8/1911 Gillette 43-23 1,140,608 5/1915 Phillips 43-49 1,841,390 1/1932 Welch 124-7 2,401,485 6/1946 Jarnagin 124 -7 2,559,215 7/1951 Funk.

2,723,656 11/1955 Andina.

2,809,461 10/1957 Atols 43-22X SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner. 

10. A SPRING CASTING GUN COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORTING FRAME INCLUDING A PISTOL GRIP TYPE OF STOCK HAVING A REARWARDLY EXTENDING BUTT SECTION AND A FORWARDLY EXTENDING NOSE SECTION FORMED INTEGRAL THEREWITH, A PIVOTABLE REEL MOUNT MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BUTT SECTION AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A FISHING REEL REMOVABLY SECURED THERETO INCLUDING A FISHING LINE WOUND THEREON, UPWARDLY EXTENDING GUIDE WALLS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME NEAR SAID REEL MOUNT, A TRIGGER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID STOCK, A LINE CASTING ARM MERGING AT ONE END INTO A COILED SPRING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID NOSE SECTION AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH A TENSION ADJUSTING MEANS HAVING A RATCHET WHEEL, A PAWL AND A SPRING MEANS NORMALLY URGING SAID PAWL TO ENGAGE SAID RATCHET WHEEL, SAID LINE CASTING ARM BEING PROVIDED AT ITS OTHER END WITH A TONGUE BIFURCATED FOR ENGAGING SAID LINE TO BE CASE, SAID LINE CASTING ARM BEING ALSO PROVIDED WITH A LATCH MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID TRIGGER MEANS, SAID COILED SPRING AND CASTING ARM BEING ARRANGED SUCH THAT TENSION IS APPLIED BY FORCING SAID ARM TO SWING REARWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY TO A POSITION WHEREIN SAID TONGUE IS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID GUIDE WALLS AND SAID LATCH MEANS ENGAGES SAID TRIGGER. 